Average homeowners claims payments per insured home have been increasing at an annualized rate of 5.0 percent since 1997, the IRC said, compared to the inflation average of approximately 2.4 percent.

Volatility—a major characteristic of homeowners insurance claims trends—is reflected in this chart:

The average claim payment per insured home countrywide rose to $625 in 2011, up from $229 in 1997, before falling to $442 in 2013.

What’s behind the increased costs?

All of the increase in average costs per insured home was due to growth in average claim severity, which rose at an annualized rate of 7.8 percent over the 17-year period—more than triple the rate of inflation, the IRC said.

The rise in claim severity more than offset a 2.6 percent annualized decrease in claim frequency, the report found.

That said, claim frequency trends were found to be significantly more volatile than claim severity trends, especially for experience identified by insurance companies as related to catastrophe events.

U.S. property/casualty insurers had their second best year in 2014 since the financial crisis – 2013 was the best – according to estimates presented by I.I.I. president Dr. Robert Hartwig.

P/C industry net income after taxes (profits) are estimated at around $50 billion in 2014, after 2013 when net income rose by 82 percent to $63.8 billion on lower catastrophe losses and capital gains.

P/C profitability is subject to cyclicality and ordinary volatility, typically due to catastrophe activity, Hartwig noted.

In 2014, natural catastrophe losses in the United States totaled $15.3 billion, far below the 2000 to 2013 average annual loss of $29 billion, according to Carl Hedde, head of risk accumulation, Munich Re America.

Overall industry capacity, as measured by policyholder surplus, is projected to have increased to $675 billion in 2014 – a record high.

The industry’s overall underwriting profit in 2014 is also estimated at $5.7 billion, on a combined ratio of 97.8.

Underwriting results in 2014 and 2013 were helped by generally modest catastrophe losses, a welcome respite from 2012 and 2011 when the industry felt the effects of Hurricane Sandy and record tornado losses, Dr. Hartwig noted.

Matthew Sturdevant of the Hartford Courant has a good round-up of the other webinar presentations here.

December 26 marks the 10th anniversary of the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami which killed more than a quarter of a million people in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and other countries surrounding the Indian Ocean.

-Strong earthquake shaking, particularly shaking lasting longer than 30 seconds;
-Withdrawal of the sea to unusually low levels; and
-Loud roar from the ocean, similar to a jet airplane, explosion or sudden, intense rainfall.

Identifying evacuation routes — creating hazard and evacuation maps showing the quickest and safest routes to higher ground or other safe areas — is also a key recommendation. Allianz notes that it is critical to involve government and emergency responders when developing these maps.

Education and awareness among residents in tsunami-prone areas then, can play as important a role as instrument-based tsunami warning systems.

In addition to high mortality risk, earthquakes and tsunamis can cause significant insured property damages.

On March 11, 2011 a devastating tsunami hit the coast of northeast Japan, triggered by a powerful earthquake approximately 80 miles offshore. The quake and tsunami caused $35.7 billion in insured damages, according to Swiss Re.

Also, early in 2011, a powerful earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand, resulting in $15.3 billion in insured losses.

The Japan and New Zealand quakes are among the 10 costliest world earthquakes and tsunamis, based on insured damages, according to Munich Re.

Of the $34 billion tab for insurers, some $29 billion was triggered by natural catastrophe events (compared with $37 billion in 2013), while man-made disasters generated the additional $5 billion in insured losses in 2014.

Natural catastrophe events in the United States accounted for three of the five most costly insured catastrophe losses in the first half of 2014, according to just-released Swiss Re sigma estimates.

In mid-May, a spate of severe storms and hail hit many parts of the U.S. over a five-day period, generating insured losses of $2.6 billion. Harsh spring weather also triggered thunderstorms and tornadoes, some of which caused insured claims of $1.1 billion.

The Polar Vortex in the U.S. in January also led to a long period of heavy snowfall and very cold temperatures in the east and southern states such as Mississippi and Georgia, resulting in combined insured losses of $1.7 billion.

These three events contributed $5.4 billion of the $19 billion in natural catastrophe-related insured losses covered by the global insurance industry in the first half of 2014, according to sigma estimates.

The $19 billion was 10 percent down from the $21 billion covered by insurers for natural catastrophe events in the first half of 2013. It was also below the average first-half year loss of the previous 10 years ($23 billion). Man-made disasters added $2 billion in insured losses in the first half of 2014, sigma reports.

The $21 billion in insured losses from disaster events in the first half of 2014 was 16 percent lower than the $25 billion generated in the first half of 2013, and lower than the average first-half year loss of the previous 10 years ($27 billion).

Total economic losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters reached $44 billion in the first half of 2014, according to sigma estimates.

More than 4,700 lives were lost as a result of natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in the first half of 2014.

Initial reports suggest the greatest damage has been to historic buildings in the city of Napa, with the downtown area cordoned off to fully assess damage. There have also been reports of non-structural damage such as items falling off shelves, including wine bottles and barrels, and substantial sprinkler leakage to many buildings.

The Napa region is most known for its wine industry, but tourism draws visitors to the area year-round.

CoreLogic EQECAT noted that the Napa Valley wine harvest was already underway. Losses would have been less if this event had occurred pre-harvest.

According to the Napa Valley Vintners Association, while there have been reports of damage at some Napa Valley wineries and production and storage facilities, particularly those in the Napa and south Napa areas, vintners are still assessing their individual situations. More information is expected in the next 24 to 72 hours.

Standard homeowners, renters and business insurance policies do not cover damage from earthquakes. Coverage is available either in the form of an endorsement or as a separate policy.

I.I.I. earthquake facts and stats show California had the largest amount of earthquake premiums in 2013, at $1.6 billion, accounting for 61 percent of U.S. earthquake insurance premiums written.

This figure includes the state-run California Earthquake Authority, the largest provider of residential earthquake insurance in California. Only about 10 percent of California residents currently have earthquake coverage, down from about 30 percent in 1996, two years after the Northridge, California, earthquake.

The percentage of homeowners and renters who have earthquake insurance in the affected area is very low – in Napa less than 6 percent, and in Sonoma less than 10 percent, according to the California Earthquake Authority.

Check out key facts from the I.I.I. on the insurance industry’s contribution to the California economy here.

As we head into August and the weekend, here are some of the stories from around the insurance blogosphere that piqued our interest:

Bertha: Tropical storm warnings have been issued for Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and other nearby islands as Tropical Storm Bertha – the second named storm of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season – approaches the Caribbean. Early Friday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports that Bertha’s winds are near 45 mph with no significant change in strength expected in the next few days. The latest 5-day forecast track for Bertha via the NHC has it staying well off the U.S. East Coast – let’s hope it stays that way.

Commercial Rate Increases Slow: Prices for commercial property/casualty insurance continued to slide in the second quarter of 2014, according to the latest quarterly survey from the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers. On average, prices for small, medium and large accounts eased by a modest -0.5 percent during the second quarter, compared with 1.5 percent in the first quarter. Competition continued to drive the market, the Council said. Of note, pricing for property fell into negative territory with a -2.6 percent drop last quarter compared with flat pricing in the first quarter.

CAT Bond, ILS Market Dashboard: Looking for real-time metrics of the growing insurance-linked securities (ILS) and catastrophe bond market? Look no further than the just-launched Artemis Dashboard, an easy-to-use tool that allows you to access the data behind the transactions. You can view the current size of the market, issuance for the current year, top sponsors in the market as well as analyze outstanding cat bond and ILS market by key metrics such as the mix of perils, triggers, expected loss levels and pricing, and also data about the development of the market over time.

The costliest stretch occurred during a five-day period (May 18-23) which saw damage incurred in parts of the Midwest, Plains, Rockies, Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, including the major metropolitan areas of Chicago, IL and Denver, CO.

According to Impact Forecastingâ€™s report, baseball-sized hail and straight-line winds gusting in excess of 70 mph (110 kph) were recorded that severely affected residential, commercial and auto interests. Total economic losses were estimated at $2.5 billion, with insurers reporting losses minimally at $1.5 billion.

Meanwhile, the combination of excessive heat, extreme drought conditions, low relative humidity and gusty winds led to dozens of wildfires across parts of the Texas Panhandle and Southern California, leaving two dead.

Overall fire costs/damages from the two states approached $100 million, according to Impact Forecasting.

In Texas the most significant fire was in Hutchinson Country, where at least 225 homes and 143 unoccupied structures were damaged or destroyed.

In California, at least 14 fires were ignited in the greater San Diego metropolitan region, including the Poinsettia Fire that destroyed eight homes, an 18-unit condominium complex, and two commercial buildings.

The report adds that through the end of May, tornado activity in the U.S. remained in the bottom 25th percentile of all years dating to the early 1950s.

If you havenâ€™t read it already, the April edition of the Global Catastrophe Recap Report by Aon Benfieldâ€™s Impact Forecasting puts some numbers around the thunderstorm events that devastated parts of the United States last month.

According to the report, severe weather and flash flooding that caused extensive damage across more than 20 states in April will likely be the first billion-dollar economic loss event of 2014 attributed to convective thunderstorms.

At least 39 people were killed and 250 injured amid nearly 70 confirmed tornado touch-downs, which occurred across more than 20 states in the Plains, Mississippi Valley, Southeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic.

Economic losses are set to exceed $1 billion, with insured losses minimally in the hundreds of millions of dollars, Impact Forecasting reports.

Another U.S. severe weather outbreak in April led to major damage in parts of the Plains, Midwest and the Mississippi Valley. The most significant damage was due to hail, as hailstones the size of softballs struck the Denton, Texas metro region.

Total economic losses were estimated at $950 million, with insured losses in excess of $650 million, according to the report.

If you’re wondering how many convective thunderstorm events made the list of significant natural catastrophes in 2013, take a look at this slide from a presentation made by I.I.I. president Dr. Robert Hartwig at the National Tornado Summit in February.